Top seed Fabiano Caruana (USA) came from behind to win the 43rd Dortmund Sparkassen elite tournament in Germany last month. Caruana lost to compatriot Wesley So in the second round to languish at the bottom of the eight-player event. He then won all five remaining games to finish on 5½/7, a point and a half ahead of So and early leader Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, tied for second on 4 points.
Today's game is from the final round at Dortmund. Nisipeanu had White and needed a win over Caruana to overtake him.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4!?
The sharp Evans Gambit was all the rage 150 years ago. 4... Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.dxe5 Bb6
The modern approach for Black is to quickly give back the pawn to defuse White's initiative and complete his own development. Here the bishop makes way for the knight to exchange off White's aggressively placed bishop. 9.a4 Na5 10.Qa2 Nxc4 11.Qxc4 Ne7 12.Ba3 O-O 13.O-O Re8 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Rd1 Qc6 16.Nbd2 Be6!
Now it is Black who offers a pawn sacrifice. As compensation he has the two bishops and several weak white pawns to target. 17.Qxc6 Nxc6 18.Bxd6 Rad8 19.Bb4 Rd3
I prefer the pin 19... Bg4! first tying up the white knights. After 20. Re1 Rd3 or 20.h3 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Ne5 Black has full compensation for the pawn. 20.a5?!
After this advance the a-pawn is soon lost, leaving Black with a passed pawn on the queenside to go with his bishop pair. 20.Ne1! ejecting the rook from d3 was essential. White retains his extra pawn for the time being as 20... Rd7 21.Ndf3 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Bb3 23.Ra1 Rxe4? fails to the fork 24.Nd2. 20... Bc7 21.Nf1
Further advance of the pawn fails to save it as 21.a6 bxa6 22.Rxa6? Nxb4 23.cxb4 Bf4! will win one of the knights. White instead aims to exchange one of the black bishops. 21... Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Nxa5 23.Nd4 Nc4!
This move only makes sense if Black already had the in mind the game continuation – if true a stunning feat of calculation. Otherwise the sensible alternative was 23... Bd7 retaining the bishop pair after 24.Bxa5 Bxa5 25.Nb3 Bg4 26.f3 Bb6+ 27.Nd4 Be6 with a significant advantage. 24.Nxe6 Rxe6 25.Rd7 Rc6! 26.Ng3 g6 27.Ne2 a5! 28.Nd4!
Seemingly putting Black in deep trouble as the rook can't move, however, Black has seen further. 28... axb4! 29.Nxc6 b3! 30.Rxc7
Also losing is 30.Nb4 b2 31.Rd1 Na3 winning back the rook for the b-pawn. 30... Nd6!
A problem-like move forcing the promotion of the b-pawn, so White resigned.
Caruana in top form
Problem: White to play and mate in 4.
Top seed Fabiano Caruana (USA) came from behind to win the 43rd Dortmund Sparkassen elite tournament in Germany last month. Caruana lost to compatriot Wesley So in the second round to languish at the bottom of the eight-player event. He then won all five remaining games to finish on 5½/7, a point and a half ahead of So and early leader Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, tied for second on 4 points.
Today's game is from the final round at Dortmund. Nisipeanu had White and needed a win over Caruana to overtake him.
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bc4 Bc5
4.b4!?
The sharp Evans Gambit was all the rage 150 years ago.
4... Bxb4
5.c3 Ba5
6.d4 d6
7.Qb3 Qd7
8.dxe5 Bb6
The modern approach for Black is to quickly give back the pawn to defuse White's initiative and complete his own development. Here the bishop makes way for the knight to exchange off White's aggressively placed bishop.
9.a4 Na5
10.Qa2 Nxc4
11.Qxc4 Ne7
12.Ba3 O-O
13.O-O Re8
14.exd6 cxd6
15.Rd1 Qc6
16.Nbd2 Be6!
Now it is Black who offers a pawn sacrifice. As compensation he has the two bishops and several weak white pawns to target.
17.Qxc6 Nxc6
18.Bxd6 Rad8
19.Bb4 Rd3
I prefer the pin 19... Bg4! first tying up the white knights. After 20. Re1 Rd3 or 20.h3 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Ne5 Black has full compensation for the pawn.
20.a5?!
After this advance the a-pawn is soon lost, leaving Black with a passed pawn on the queenside to go with his bishop pair. 20.Ne1! ejecting the rook from d3 was essential. White retains his extra pawn for the time being as 20... Rd7 21.Ndf3 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Bb3 23.Ra1 Rxe4? fails to the fork 24.Nd2.
20... Bc7
21.Nf1
Further advance of the pawn fails to save it as 21.a6 bxa6 22.Rxa6? Nxb4 23.cxb4 Bf4! will win one of the knights. White instead aims to exchange one of the black bishops.
21... Rxd1
22.Rxd1 Nxa5
23.Nd4 Nc4!
This move only makes sense if Black already had the in mind the game continuation – if true a stunning feat of calculation. Otherwise the sensible alternative was 23... Bd7 retaining the bishop pair after 24.Bxa5 Bxa5 25.Nb3 Bg4 26.f3 Bb6+ 27.Nd4 Be6 with a significant advantage.
24.Nxe6 Rxe6
25.Rd7 Rc6!
26.Ng3 g6
27.Ne2 a5!
28.Nd4!
Seemingly putting Black in deep trouble as the rook can't move, however, Black has seen further.
28... axb4!
29.Nxc6 b3!
30.Rxc7
Also losing is 30.Nb4 b2 31.Rd1 Na3 winning back the rook for the b-pawn.
30... Nd6!
A problem-like move forcing the promotion of the b-pawn, so White resigned.
0-1
Solution: 1.Rxh6+! Bxh6 2.g7+ Bxg7 3.Qh2+ Bh6 4.Qxh6#